[Sidenote:  Jos.  Ant.  XIII, 11:3e] Then Aristobulus died, after having reigned a year.  He was called a lover of the Greeks and conferred many benefits on his country.  He also made a war against Iturea [Galilee], and added a great part of it to Judea and compelled the inhabitants, if they wished to remain in that country, to be circumcised and to live according to the Jewish laws.

I. Murder of Simon.  Even his moderation and kindly rule did not deliver Simon from the violent death that overtook all the sons of Mattathias.

His murderer was his son-in-law, a certain Ptolemy, who was governor of the Jordan Valley, the resources of which had been developed under Simon.  Ptolemy trusted to the support of the Syrian court, but he failed to reckon with two things:  (1) the loyalty of the people to their Maccabean leaders; and (2) the ability of Simon’s son, John Hyrcanus.  Instead of falling a victim to Ptolemy’s plot, John at once went to Jerusalem where he was made the high priest and governor by the people.  Ptolemy, who was besieged in the castle of Dok, saved his miserable life only by shameless perfidy.

II.  The Syrian Invasion.  Antiochus Sidetes proved the ablest Syrian king of this period.  Although his first attack had been repelled by Simon, he again attempted, on the accession of Hyrcanus, to reestablish his authority in Palestine.  Josephus, in his account, obscures this humiliating chapter in Jewish history.  The statement that Hyrcanus took from the tomb of David vast wealth and thus purchased immunity from Syrian attack has all the characteristics of an Oriental tale.  Instead, Antiochus Sidetes not only besieged but captured Jerusalem, and doubtless compelled the Jews to pay heavy tribute.  Preferring, however, to retain their loyalty rather than to crush them, he left John Hyrcanus in control of Judea, and Jerusalem escaped destruction.  In the disastrous campaign against the Parthians in which Antiochus lost his life John Hyrcanus accompanied him with a following of Jewish soldiers.  The death of Antiochus Sidetes in 129 B.C. at last left the Jews free to develop their kingdom without further fear of Syrian interference.  This event marks for the Jews the attainment of absolute political freedom—­a privilege which they continued to enjoy for a little over half a century.

III.  John’s Military Policy and Conquests.  John possessed the characteristic ambitions and energy of his family.  In his policy he also seems to have been strongly influenced by the achievements of Israel’s early conquering king, David.  His aim was to build up a small empire, and by crushing the ancient foes of Israel to secure immunity from further attack.  In employing foreign mercenaries he also followed the example of King David.  Doubtless he was influenced in doing so by his experiences in the Parthian campaign.  This policy, however, was far removed from the spirit of the early Maccabean leaders who had unsheathed the sword in behalf of